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Types and Growth of Bacteria Explained

Bacteria can be found almost everywhere and can survive in a wide range of temperatures. They can be autotrophic, producing their own food from inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, or heterotrophic, relying on external food sources. Autotrophic bacteria are further divided into photoautotrophic bacteria, which use light to produce food, and chemosynthetic bacteria, which produce food by oxidizing inorganic substances like hydrogen sulfide. Heterotrophic bacteria are parasitic, living off other organisms; symbiotic, living mutually beneficially with other organisms; or saprophytic, living off dead and decaying organic matter. Bacteria also differ in their oxygen requirements, being aerobic and requiring oxygen, facultatively aerobic and

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83 views3 pages

Types and Growth of Bacteria Explained

Bacteria can be found almost everywhere and can survive in a wide range of temperatures. They can be autotrophic, producing their own food from inorganic substances like carbon dioxide, or heterotrophic, relying on external food sources. Autotrophic bacteria are further divided into photoautotrophic bacteria, which use light to produce food, and chemosynthetic bacteria, which produce food by oxidizing inorganic substances like hydrogen sulfide. Heterotrophic bacteria are parasitic, living off other organisms; symbiotic, living mutually beneficially with other organisms; or saprophytic, living off dead and decaying organic matter. Bacteria also differ in their oxygen requirements, being aerobic and requiring oxygen, facultatively aerobic and

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Occurrence:

Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are found almost everywhere in air, water, soil, food
and in the bodies of plants and animals whether they are living or dead. They can
survive in hot springs as well as in freezing temperature. They may be dwellers or
parasites of plants and animals.
Autotrophic Bacteria:
These are bacteria which are able to synthesize their own organic food from
inorganic substances. They use carbon dioxide for obtaining carbon and utilise
hydrogen sulphide (H2S) or ammonia (NH3) or hydrogen (H2) as the source of
hydrogen to reduce carbon. These bacteria can be distinguished further into two
types as follows:
Photoautotrophic Bacteria
The photoautotrophic bacteria have pigment very similar to chlorophyll and named
as chlorobium-chlorophyll or bacterial chlorophyll and it present in the mesosome of
bacterial cell. Bacterial photosynthesis is different from that of green plants since
here water is not used as a hydrogen donor. Hence oxygen is not released as a
byproduct. For this reason, the process is described as anoxygenic photosynthesis.

Chemosynthetic Bacteria
These are bacteria which manufacture organic compounds from inorganic raw
materials utilising energy liberated from the oxidation of inorganic substances.
Following are the common types of chemo autotrophic bacteria.
1. Nitrifying bacteria which derive energy by oxidizing ammonia into nitrates.
Eg: Nitrosomonas, Nitrobacter.

2.

Sulphur bacteria which derive energy by oxidising hydrogen sulphide to


sulphur. Eg: Thiobacillus, Beggiatoa.

3. Iron Bacteria which derive energy by oxidising ferrous ions into ferric form.
Eg: Ferrobacillus, Gallionella.

Heterotrophic Bacteria
These are bacteria which are unable to manufacture their own organic food and
hence are dependent on external source. These bacteria can be distinguished into
three groups as follows:

Parasitic bacteria:
These bacteria live with other living beings. They depend on them for survival and
derive their food from them. Disease causing is referred as pathogenic which may
cause disease by attacking host cells or releasing toxins. Toxins may be further sub
divided into exotoxins and endotoxins.

Symbiotic Bacteria
These are bacteria which live in a mutually beneficial association with other
organisms. Such bacteria derive the essential nutrients from their host organisms.
most familiar example of symbiotic bacteria are the nitrogen fixing bacteria found in the root nodules of
leguminous plants. Bacteria such as Rhizobium radicicola.

Saprophytic bacteria : (Read from book)

Classification of bacteria on the basis of oxygen


requirement:
Aerobes: (Require oxygen for Respiration).
Types of aerobes:
Obligate aerobes: (die without the presence of oxygen)
Facultative aerobes: ( They can survive without the oxygen, but cannot do
respiration without oxygen)
Micro-aerophilic: (they need oxygen in low concentration but they will die
when the concentaration level of oxygen if high)
An-aerobes: ( Do not need of oxygen for respiration).
Types of an-aerobes:
Obligate an-aerobes: ( Die with the presence of oxygen)
Facultative an-aerobes: (They can survive in the presence of oxygen but
cant do respiration in the presence of oxygen).
Aerotolerant anaerobes : ( grow either with or without oxygen, but
metabolism remains fermentative and do not use oxygen)

Growth of bacteria:
Lag phase:
The phase in which bacteria prepare itself for cell division.The maximum cell
size is
obtained towards the end of lag phase.
Log (logarithmic) or exponential phase:
Following the lag phase, the cells
start dividing and their numbers increase exponentially or by geometric
progression with time.
Stationary phase:
Due to depletion of nutrients and accumulation of toxic products, the old
bacterial cell start to die. The number of new cells formed is just enough to
replace the number of old bacterial cells that die. Equilibrium exists between
the dying cells and the newly formed cells. So, the bacterial cell count
remains stationary
.
Phase of decline:
This is the phase when the population decreases due to cell
death. This is due to exhaustion and toxic accumulation or it may be caused
by autolytic enzymes.

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